Method of and apparatus for removing tires from molds



Jan. 31, 1933. J, p, sAPP 1,895,943

METHOD oF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TIRES FROM MoLDs Filed March 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. P. SAPP Jan. 31, 1933.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TIRES FROM MOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 25, 1932 V F ig. 2 is a detail Patented Jan. 3l, 1933 o UNITED STATES lararri OFFICE `TOHN r. SAPI, OE'KENT, OHIQASSIGNOETO THE n. GOODEIOH OOMPAN Y YORK, N. .Y.,A` oOEroEETION or NEW YORK.

` s METHOD Or vAND ArrAEATUs Een EEMOVING TIRES EEoiir: ivroLnsl Application inea March 25,1932. serialV n; 601,112. s

" This invention relates to a method of' and apparatus for removingtires or other flexible molded'articlesfrom molds. Y. l

`The principal objects of the invention are to efect-ually loosen the article fromadhesive Acontact with the mold without injury to the tire, to provide for positive automatic operation 4and to reduce cost of manufacture and increase production.

Other objects will be apparentfrom` the following description andthe accompanying drawings. Y, A

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevationof aportion of a mold conveyor provided with tire loosening and removing devices and showing one tire in a mold half before the loosening 'operation has been performed, one tire in a mold half being operated upon by the loosening mechanism, and, in dot and dash lines,\the position assumed the tire upon leaving the mold, parts being broken away. p A

` view partly in section on line 22 of Fig. 1.' s Fig. 3 is a plan view, partlyin section, of the tire loosening mechanism and a portion of the conveyor, parts being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a detail lviewrin section on line 4-'4 of Fig. 3 showing the manner in which the tire is deflected from normalshape during the loosening thereof from the mold.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 10, 10 designate the stationary rails, supported by frames, 11, oirwhich a travelling platform conveyor comprising supporting slats 12, side chains 13, and anti-friction rollers 14, is guided. rlhe conveyor may beof any length and Vusually travels past a series of vulcanizers from which the vulcanized tires or other articles contained in molds may be withdrawn and placed on the conveyor.

By means of .mechanism not shown, land forming no 4part of this invention,the upper halves of the two part molds' are removed,

leaving eachv tire 15 and its enclosed pressure bag 16 in the lower mold half 17to which the tireis Vheld by adhesion, atmospheric pressure, and the reentrant portionsof the mold which form the tread of the tire. In, this adjacent cross rod 20 4of the conveyor and lbe raised or low-ered as desired swinging movement.

condition the tires are conveyed in the directionindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. i

In order topositively advance the lower moldhalf 17 and the tires therein `contained,

Y @NEW a some ofthe slats 12 are formed with openings Q55 18 through which driving dogs 19 .pivoted on cross rods 2O of the conveyor project. Each dog 19 is held inprojecting relation by a spring 21, one Vend of which is attached to an the other end of which engages an'arm 22 integral with dog 19. A second integral arm 68 Von the dog 19 is adaptedto engage a stationary ycam 69y by which the dog may be retracted where not required for mold driving purposes.

Located along the path of the conveyor at the sides thereof and straddling the railslO,A '10" are a pair of frames 22, 22, having verti-A cal guide-ways machined therein to slidably tend vertically of the frames22, 22 and are' journaled in bearings 25. .Each s crewcarries rigidly mounted thereon a bevel'gear 26 `wheel 30, the arrangement being such that screws 24, 24 may be rotated in unison by handwheel 30. Y j

65 70. engage a cross-head 23. Screws 24, 24 geX- s Cross-'head 23 is provided Lwith integral 1 threaded lugs 31 which are 'engaged bythe screws .24, 24 whereby thecross-head 23'may .Y y

by rotation ofthe Vhand-wheel 30. y

Cross-head 23 is provided with` lugs-for.`

rigidly supporting in vertical position and spaced relation alpair of shafts 32, 32. A pair of swing-frames 33, 33 are each journaled on'one Vof said shafts for horizontal frames'is provided at its freelextremity with a substantially vertical bearing 34 inwhich a shaft 35 is free to rotate. Y p 1 A yoke 36 is mounted on eachshaft 35'and is formed to provide a plurality of journals 37, 37 in which the shanksv38 of tire-loosening discs 39 are journaled parallel to shaft 35.

Y The axes of journals 34 are preferably` ini.

Eachof the. Swing" y clined at a slight angle to the vertical so thaty the angles which they make with the plane` after described. f

of the conveyor are least in the direction Vof mold approach for a 'purpose to be herein- VSwinging movement of is limited by a pair of links 40, each of Y which is pivoted to one frame at apoint intermediate ofrits length as atr41. Each link is slotted as at 42 andapin 43 on cross-head 23 passingthrough said slot permits limited swinging motion ofthe swing-frame- Swing frames 33,y 33 `are; each .provided Vwith bearings 44, intermediate their extent in which are journaled verticalrods 45. An

air cylinder'46 is lprovided with a lug 47 which is pivoted on'one ofthe rods and apiston v'rod 48, having avpiston 49 which litsfthe cylinder, is provided with a'knuckle 50 which f2.0Y

is pivotedl on the other rod.V Cylinder 46 is `"closeolat both yends except for a vent 51 near its pivoted end` and a port 52 at its opposite 'Y end which is connected by a flexible hose 53 to a source of pressure such as a compressed air l1ne(not shown): The arrangement is Vsuch that -when air is admitted to cylinderr 46,

swing frames v33, 33" are urged toward `each Rods have enlarged heads 54 which are Vcross-bored to engage a guide rodV 55 which is fastened to one of the rods 45 by a bolt 56. A bushing-57 on guide rod 55 supports the rodi 'Y endV of cylinder 46 through a hanger 58 and Located along'the conveyor prevents excessive wear on the piston Arody 48 andits stuffing box. y

'loosening mechanism j ust described isa pair Vofframes 59, similar to frames 33, 33 Vonvwhich .is adjustably and slidably mounted for vertical movementia. carriage 60 which carriage has suitable horizontal bearings for a o fluted rotatable shaft 62 adapted to be rotated vina clockwise direction (see Fig; l) by a `vmotor Y63V through suitable gearing. A A .horviZonta-lly mounted roller`64 also mounted in l,the frame is embraced by ka conveyor belt 65' Y vwhich'extends to vany convenient point of delivery and is driven the direction indicated by the arrow. A weighted pressure rollei` 66 carried` in slotted bearings 67 in frame 60 is adapted to assist theconveyor iny pulling the 'tires from the mold.

" The operation' of thedevice is as follows: The cross head 23 is adjusted to such an elevation that the loosening discs 39 just clear the top` of the mold-half 17. The frame 60 is alsoV adjustedV to such an elevation that the liutedy bar 62V just clears the mold half 17.

Air under pressure is admitted vto cylinder l46 which causes swing frames 33, 33 toapproach each other. As the driving dogs 19 advance the mold member 17 to the position shown'in dot anddash lines in Fig. 3, the

discs 39 contact with the tread portion of the tire in the position shown in dotand dash the frames 33, 33"

.inclined as heretofore Adescribed the inc in said mold.

lines. During further movement of the mold the leadingportion of the tire is deflected away from the mold surface and thereafter the swing-frames 33, 33 are forced apart by the tire, the discs39 Vchanging their'position' progressively and'progressively loosening theV tire by deflection of its walls as seen in Flg.

3 until the tire passes from contact therewith,l

thereupon the leading portion ofthetire which is still in the mold contacts with the *rotating fluted bar 62l and is liftedl thereby from the mold onto the, conveyor 65, the weighted roller 66 assisting by 'increasing the pull of the conveyor belt.

Where theaxis of the shaft 35 is slightly tion ofthe discs 39'to the plane ofthe tire causes a lifting action of thefdiscs' dueto the resistance of their contact with the tread of the tire and their tendency to rotate without slippagek at an-angle to the .plane of the tire. This results in alifting component of so f ina-

the rotative forces which'lifts the tirev pro-A gressively from the mold while the tire is being loosenedtherefrom. The inclination of the axis of the yoke alsocauses the'respec-l Vtive discs on 'one side of the conveyor -to contact with the' tire atslightly vdifferent elevations, thereby distributing the distortion of the tire surface. I claim:

over a widerzone of the tread 1f. Apparatus for loosening a molded tire from a moldmember, said apparatus comprising a conveyor for advancing the mold beyond the tire' member edgewise, and ai rotatable disc adapted peripherally to engage the exposed marginal surface ofthe tire in circumferentravel of said mold. n

tially progressive rolling engagement, saidy disc having its axis inclined to the plane of f Cil 2. Apparatus for loosening aimoldedl tire i from a mold member, said fpparatus comprising a conveyor for advancing the` mold ,member edgewise, and a plurality of rotatable discs adapted to simultaneously engage and progressively; contact with theexposed marginal surface of the tire by rolling engagement circumferentially of its tread, said ,its axis angularly disposed to the plane of fino rizo

travel of said mold, a plurality of articles Y deliecting discs rotatably mounted on said f yoke, and yieldable `pressure means for maintaining said discs in the path of the article 4.V -The method of loosening a iexible tire from a'moldmember which comprises ad-v vancing the mold member edgewise along a .frac

vancing the mold member edgewise along a 1 determinate path, and progressively deflecting circumferentially successive portions of the tread of the tire radially from'contact with the mold by rolling contact therewith as the mold is so`advanced.

6. The method of loosening a flexible tire from a mold member,` which comprises ad- Vancing the mold member edgewise along a determinate path, progressively deflecting circumferentially successive portions of the tread of the tire radially from Contact with the mold as the mold is so advanced, and simultaneously effecting a lifting movement of the tire away from the mold.

7. The method of loosening a flexible tire from a-mold member, which comprises advancing the mold member edgewise along a determinate path, radially deflecting a leading portion .of the article from mold contacting relation, Vand progressively effecting local deflection of the tread of the tire 'by rolling contact of the delecting means circumferentially along its tread.

`8. The method of loosening a flexible tire from a -Inold member, which comprises advancing the mold member edgewise along a determinate path, radially deflecting a leading portion of the article from mold contacting relation, and progressively effecting separation of the remainder of the tire from the mold by rolling pressure radially applied simultaneously progressively around opposite sides of the advancing article.

9. Apparatus for loosening a molded tire from a mold member, said apparatus com prising a conveyor for advancing the mold edgewise, and means for loosening the tire from the mold as it is so advanced, said means comprising a pair of swivel yokes each provided with a pair of tire-engaging discs, and means for applying equalized pressure to said discs transverse of the path of mold travel to cause the discs to roll along substantially the entire periphery of the tire.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this `16th day of March, 1932.

vJOHN P. SAPI. 

